Thinking back to Sept 6

We have had these speeches stemming from the September 6 Work Session in our possession for a while and wanted to post them mainly for archiving. The public communication between board members during the superintendent search should be recorded so that everyone can read what each person actually said, and not what the gossip mills say people said.

First, Nancy Jester and Don McChesney each made statements at the August 29 meeting before taking the vote on the new superintendent explaining their personal decision to vote "no". Pam Speak's made a statement directly after the vote, highlighted in the August 29 post where she states, "The search for a new super has been an arduous and painful endeavor. I expected arduous, but not painful. I expected that we would interview highly qualified candidates. I did not consider that person needed to look like me. I will support Dr. Atkinson. I pledge my full support to her." All three stated that if hired, they would support Dr. Atkinson fully.

While Nancy and Don spoke, several of the other board members "walked out" of the board meeting. It was not recorded on camera, however, several print and internet news sources reported this behavior. At the next meeting, Donna Edler and Gene Walker each made speeches in defense of their actions and in support of the superintendent. The statements included some accusations about each other that simply weren't true. This is why we want to go ahead and post or link to every word that was said.

Dr. Walker's statement was posted on the AJC "Get Schooled" blog and can be read here. Nancy Jester posted her statement at her website. It can be read here. And Don's statement can also be found on Nancy's blog by clicking here.

The text of Donna Edler's statement has not been published. We transcribed it from the video and it follows here:

It has been reported that I walked out of the Friday, August 29 called meeting for a brief period of time during the reading of comments by Mr. McChesney. I walked out shortly after Mr. McChesney started his diatribe accusing board members, those in a minority faction, those present in the room did not support the candidate. He accused those board members of 1) leaking confidential information, 2) not caring much for the rules and oaths that we had taken and 3) seeking power and direction. He followed this defamation of our character by stating, “The real losers here are all the children of DeKalb.” 

I realize that my exit may be perceived by some as neither respectful nor professional. If any persons were offended by my acts of civil disobedience and personal protection, I apologize, as that was not my intent. Please know, however, that I will protect my person and my health from bullying and insult whether that bullying and insult comes from persons in the general public or from member or members of this board. Unless and until such actions are curbed, I will not dignify such bullying, insults and innuendo with my presence. 

Not only were Mr. McChesney’s statements hurtful and provocative, they were untrue. That is, leaks were obviously done by a minority faction of those present in the room. There was absolutely no justification or provocation for Mr. McChesney’s inflamed comments. Not only did anonymous leaks occur, the source of the leaks remain unknown. There was also at least one breach that was indentifyable. All breaches compromise the search process to some extent. The board was not silent on the issue of leaks and breaches, as Mr. McChesney indicated. The matter was discussed at length in executive session. I, for one, promoted public acknowledgement and condemnation of such breaches. It was the will of the board that we not make addititional attention to the board, I’m sorry. Mr. McChesney would have you believe that it was only he, and other selected few who were against such breaches. Mr. McChesney’s insulting comments, not his opposition to the board’s choice for superintendent were offensive, uncalled for, unprofessional and certainly not productive. 

As a board, we are not going to agree on every issue. It is our duty, however, to both argue our position during executive session and/or during our board meetings as appropriate and accept the majority vote to execute it with professionalism and unified manner. With respect to the selection of the district superintendent, I along with others on the board, researched and shared that research with the entire board. During executive session, every voice was heard and all positions were fully deliberated. A host of candidates, including a couple of my favorites did not arise to the level of finalist. Like Dr. Speaks indicated in her statement, gender or the need to look like me was not part of my evaluation matrix. However, unlike Miss Jester commented, I am not disappointed in the outcome of our superintendent search. The process, despite some breaches, was inclusive, thorough, and just. I am happy to welcome Dr. Cheryl Atkinson as our new superintendent. I thank the entire board of education for its full participation in the superintendent search and selection process. Thank you.

Dr. Atkinson made her public debut this morning

Maureen Downey has an excellent report on Dr. Atkinson's first public meeting this morning. Maureen tells us the following:

In her first meet-and-greet Saturday morning with the community, DeKalb school chief finalist Cheryl Atkinson came across as open, tough, seasoned and ready for the challenges of the fractured district.

Twice, to applause both times, Atkinson said she had no problem letting people go who are not performing. She also won applause when she said that education takes place in the classroom, not in the central office.

(You gained the sense that the DeKalb parents in the audience believe there is too much dead weight in the central office as the applause was reflexive whenever Atkinson talked about changes at that level.)

“My focus will be on our students and student success first with adults and political issues taking a distant second. Children must come first. Our decisions, my decisions, must first and foremost focus on what is good for all children. My intention is to create an internal structure that will allow effective educators to focus on the core mission improving academic performance. We do not have the luxury of allowing non-academic related issues to consume the attention and focus of all our educators,” she said

She also earned applause when she said that she didn’t believe in teaching to tests, but she did believe in preparing for them, including raising the performance of high school students on the college admission tests, the SAT and the ACT. In Kansas City, she pushed and obtained ACT testing for every student during the school day.

There is much more. Read Maureen's blog post by clicking here.

Defining Cheryl Atkinson

This video, which we think was filmed when she was interviewing for Superintendent of the Cleveland System, certainly gives us insight into the sincere nature of Dr. Atkinson. Her heart is obviously in the right place and she says the things we love to hear - that she values teachers and that we need change. But does she (or even, could she) really grasp the nature and size of the change required in DeKalb? Is she strong enough to dilute the power of the Friends & Family in the system? The very same people who have wasted our tax dollars and allowed our children's test scores to fall into the abyss are now the ones claiming to execute "triage" on their own results. Does she find that logical? Does she really believe that it's a good idea to place the responsibility of reform in the same hands as those who created the need for reform? Does she have the experience, wisdom and the inner compass to see clearly through the fog to the truth? Can she hear through the cacophony of strong voices advocating for their own power bases? Can she recognize the path that will show the way to a successful future for children?

Below is a chart from the Ohio Department of Education revealing the results of student testing in her 8,000 student district in Lorain, Ohio over the past few years. It's a mixed bag of progress, some areas advanced, some didn't.

Click to view larger

Then, there is a list of accomplishments posted all around the internet promoting her successes.  You may have already seen this list:

• Raised graduation rate from 75.9% in the 2006-07 school year to 84.7% in the 2009-10 school year in spite of poverty level rate increasing.
• State accountability for value added model (year’s worth of growth) increased from only one school making a year’s growth to all schools meeting a year’s worth of growth or more. 
• Implemented full immersion Mandarin Chinese (only one in the state of Ohio in public school setting) and full immersion Spanish pre-school program.
• Increased the number of foreign language course offerings at the high school.
• Lorain staff and students have taken educational tours of China, visiting primary, secondary and higher institutions of learning through a partnership with the Office of Chinese Language Council International.
• Implemented Success for All, comprehensive reading reform model for grades K-8: after two years of implementation, data illustrate an increase of student reading levels. Baseline data for the 2008-2009 school year indicated that 43.63% of K-8 students were reading at or above grade level. June 2010 data show 59.45% are currently reading at or above grade level, an increase of 15.93%!
• Implemented one-on-one laptop initiative (all students grade 6-12 receive a laptop with textbooks loaded for their use during the school year).
• Garnered a partnership through effective use of grant dollars, with NASA to implement a NASA Aerospace Lab for $189,000; and implemented the SEMMA program, a K-8 STEM curriculum partnership with NASA.
• Successfully consolidated two high schools into one comprehensive high school.
• Implemented Magnet Schools Program within the district to include the following themes at the elementary level: Science, Art, Literature, Math through Music, Gifted & Accelerated Academy; for middle schools: Accelerated Academy; Interactive Simulation (Animation), and Art; at the high school level: high school academies in STEM, the Arts, and Business and Entrepreneurships.
• Continued to expand the preschool program which increased enrollment and collaboration with Head Start by 26%; instituted a pre-school center in partnership with Head Start; promoted preschool participation which resulted in a 28% increase in the number of students demonstrating readiness for kindergarten.
• Secured funding to provide ACT for all juniors at the high school level to take during the school day (one of only two districts in the state of Ohio); imbedded ACT Prep Courses as a part of extra curricular offerings; and created a process to imbed ACT academic skills as a part of our required curriculum.
• Established and implemented inclusion as the district intervention model.
• Established a district-wide student uniform policy.
• Established two alternative schools addressing student behavioral and academic needs.
• Secured more than $18.6 through grants from state, federal and foundation programs to enhance the academic program.
• Garnered full tuition scholarships for high school graduates totaling more than $7 million.
• Instituted energy savings program which resulted in a savings of $2.9 million.

She is listed as a Broad Superintendents Academy 2006 graduate here. However, she is not listed on the official website of 2006 Broad Superintendents Academy. An aside: We found out that Ray & Associates have done training sessions for Broad.  They are connected.

We're also glad to see that she has kept up her teacher certification (See Florida certification webpage). This is more than Johnny Brown, Crawford Lewis, Morcease Beasley or Gloria Talley did.

Atkinson, Cheryl Lynn 534187 Bradford Elementary Education, (grades 1 - 6) Professional 7/1/2010 - 6/30/2015

We have done some quick system comparisons:

FY 2011 Budget of Lorain City Schools: $94,664,548 (DeKalb's is over $700 million)

Total Student Enrollment: 7,626 (DeKalb has over 98,000)

Student Demographics - Lorain
30.87% Hispanic, 28.01% African American, 27.96% White, 12.75% Multi Racial, 0.43% Other

85.6% Economically Disadvantaged, 17.8% Students with Disabilities, 3.2% Limited English Proficiency

Student Demographics - DeKalb
Black 71.3%, Hispanic 11.75%, White 10.7%, Asian 4.4%, Multiracial 1.6%, Native American, 0.25%

EMPLOYEES Lorain:
955 Full‐Time

EMPLOYEES DeKalb:
Approx. 13,000+

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Items Of Concern:

Lorain City Schools -- on Academic Watch

AYP Status: NOT MET

Performance Index: (0-120 point) 78.1 points

Number of State Indicators Met out of 26: 1

The only passing category out of 26 is 11th grade writing.


Big Red Flag: 

Atkinson answered “No” to Question #5 on her DCSS application: “Have you ever been involved, or are you currently involved, or do you anticipate involvement in litigation either as the plaintiff/complainant or defendant/respondent?” Yet, there was the case of Aliceson Humphries who filed suit against both the Lorain Board of Education and Cheryl Atkinson. She should have answered "Yes" and provided an explanation on a separate page, as required, about this federal lawsuit. It was recently settled, but lawyers were involved. Aliceson Humphries’ lawyer was Avery Friedman. The lawyer for Atkinson and the Lorain School System was most likely Atkinson’s landlord. Beyond answering "no" on the DeKalb application, it also appears that Dr. Atkinson didn't share the fact that the Lorain school system was named in the discrimination lawsuit with their board.

Additionally, below is one of three pleadings found online at PACER.gov where Cheryl Atkinson is the defendant. Obviously, Cheryl Atkinson has been a party to a bankruptcy with an adversary, which is a lawsuit, technically.

Click to enlarge

Further, there seems to be a possibility of another lawsuit looming on the horizon regarding an alleged change Atkinson made which enabled a lesser qualified student to claim the honor of being valedictorian for Lorain’s high school. The honor of being valedictorian also usually includes some significant financial awards such as full-ride scholarship offers. The full story has not yet come out in the media and it is unclear if legal action is being pursued. Click here for an article about the valedictorians in question. More research must be done to get to the bottom of this issue.

Ray and Associates, Inc. clearly states in their application package that several current letters of recommendation are required. Only one letter is provided by Atkinson and that letter is not on official letterhead. In fact, her recommendation is from the editor of the local newspaper.

She has several errors, or typos on her application to Atlanta Public Schools (click here to review). For example, she gets the title wrong for Broad Superintendents Academy. It is not Broad Urban Superintendency Academy. She actually made the error twice on the Honors and Awards page of her vita because she listed Broad twice in the very short list of honors and awards she has received. She even misspelled superintendent.

Reviewing the list of honors and awards, the first thing noted is that approximately half of what she listed is undated. She lists, undated, the "Vivian Burk Leadership Award", (sic*) but carefully neglects to note that it is from her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. *She spelled Burke’s name incorrectly. It is “Burke” with an “e.”  There are other errors in her applications that seem small, but make a statement about carelessness and inattention to detail.

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So, pros and cons side by side, is Cheryl Atkinson the best choice to lead our school system into the future? We are impressed with her image and her sincere demeanor.  We like the one-to-one laptops, digital books and small, steady increases she made in some areas of achievement in Lorain. However, Lorain has only one high school and fewer than 8,000 students. We are concerned that she has no experience leading an enormous, unwieldy, troubled system like DeKalb. We're concerned that she has some legal issues that we feel need further investigating. And we're concerned that she will not be able to penetrate the very powerful adult-led friends and family system and make systemic changes necessary to become an educational leader.

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According to the AJC, In a journeyman-like career, she has worked in 12 school districts in six states since 1982, including Georgia's Rockdale County. Records show she and her husband filed for personal bankruptcy in Norfolk, Va., in 1997. The filing was terminated in 2000.


Atkinson holds a bachelors of arts and a masters of arts in elementary education from the University of North Carolina, and a doctor of education in education administration from Virginia Tech.


In a prepared statement, Atkinson said, "My passion is to give all children, regardless of background and circumstances, a quality public school education."

The DeKalb board will publicly vote to install Atkinson as its new superintendent following the 14-day waiting period in late August, though the exact date hasn't been set.


FILES

Read the contract here.
Read her Atlanta Application here.
Read her contract here.
Read her dissertation here.
Read an annotated DCSS application here.

The 11 Alive News Team broke the story about the court cases.  View one of their reports here.

News reports from Ohio (history on Atkinson)
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2008/06/05/lorain-super-looks-forward-to-second-year/
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2009/06/05/school-chief-in-contract-violation/
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2009/06/18/school-chief-gets-5-year-extension/
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/12/23/lorain-school-board-complaint-won’t-be-investigated/
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2011/03/31/administrator’s-federal-lawsuit-against-lorain-schools-is-settled/

Lorain Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Citizens-4-Better-Lorain-Schools/114922035213499

Disagreement on the Board

This email was just released. It contains the opinions of Don McChesney and Nancy Jester regarding the board's recent contract with Dr. Atkinson for superintendent. Apparently, they both disagree with the board's selection and here's why:


Dear DeKalb Citizens:

I think it is important for me to comment on the choice of Dr. Cheryl Atkinson as the prospective school superintendent for DeKalb County. The opinions I express are mine and I do not profess to speak for anyone else.

My first priority in finding a superintendent was to find the best candidate to raise student achievement in the school system and give the taxpayer equity for money spent. The theme for me was the students. Beyond that all else was secondary.

It is not possible for me to support this choice based on the record. This is the most important decision that has been made since I came on the board. We need to get it right based on an informed study of the facts available. It is too serious to go with only your "gut feeling".

We had several candidates with better records of student achievement but, unfortunately, as you know, their candidacy was plagued with leaks of confidential information to the press. I hope that you will note that there were no press leaks regarding this candidate.

We have read recently published reports in the media that the Lorain City Schools may move up one step on the Ohio ratings scale. These scores have not yet been released by the Ohio Department of Education so we have no confirmation. The most current data available show only 1 of 24 academic indicators being met. Let me remind you that there were candidates not chosen that bested this record. Some showed a substantially better record.

Ohio has Lorain schools on "Academic Watch". This is step 4 out of 5 on their sanctions scale. The next step is "Academic Emergency". That is the most serious sanction. Compare this with the rejected candidates.

Let me be clear. No urban school system superintendent in America will have an unblemished record. It is the nature of the business. I do not expect perfection because that record is unobtainable, but there were other candidates with better records.

Do not take my word for it. Do your own research. You will be led to the same set of facts as me. The only difference will be the spin folks attempt to apply to these facts. Also check the contract. See if you see any danger points there.

Dr. Atkinson is a fine person and delightful to converse with. However, a business decision for academic betterment of our students and not a personal referendum on personality was my goal.

Don McChesney

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I'm in agreement with Mr. McChesney's statement. He and I spent hours researching the student achievement records of the candidates that were brought before us. I believe we saw several candidates with significantly better records of student achievement. We also considered professionals who were credible change agents that could help our district attract top-flight talent to key positions and reorganize our district.

If you are interested in examining Dr. Atkinson's record of student achievement, click here to go to her district's "report card" given by the Ohio Department of Education. Over the last three years there have been increases in 9 out of 24 state academic indicators. Those increases range from a high of 9.1% to .8%. The remaining 15 indicators have losses that range from -2.9% to -16.3%. All of the academic indicators for the high school grades showed a decrease in scores over the last three years. For the most recent report card available, Dr. Atkinson's district met only one state academic measurement. Additionally, when compared to other similar districts in Ohio (based on demographic, socioeconomic and geographic factors), they score below the average for similar districts in all categories except one.

The district did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and is on "Academic Watch". (Ohio rates districts on a 5 level basis and Academic Watch is the next to lowest status. The lowest status is Academic Emergency.) When looking at the AYP determination, I noted that the African American population did not meet AYP for either of the proficiency standards (reading and math). This was also the case for students with limited English proficiency (LEP) and students with disabilities (SWD). The largest demographic for our district is African-American so this record, in a small district, concerns me.

I thought that Dr. Atkinson was very professional and charming. I enjoyed meeting her and believe her to be devoted to educating children. I cannot support Dr. Atkinson's candidacy for the Superintendency of DeKalb based on her record of student achievement in a small district. We have serious student achievement issues in DeKalb. We are last or next to last in 23 of 25 data points for the CRCT when compared to 8 metro districts (DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, City of Atlanta, City of Decatur and City of Marietta.) If our school system does not drastically improve, the implications for our county are dire. I do not see anything in Dr. Atkinson's record with her current district that convinces me she will be able to move our district in the right direction.

By state law, districts must announce a candidate 14 days in advance of voting to approve their employment. Additionally, we must make every document we have regarding the candidate available to the public at this time. In closing, I will say that if it is the will of the Board to bring Dr. Atkinson to DeKalb, no one will offer her more service than me. As a mom with three young children, I am invested in the success of our schools with my most precious resources. Thank you for allowing me the honor of serving you.

--Nancy

Background on Dr. Atkinson, the latest superintendent finalist

Does the name Dr. Cheryl L. H. Atkinson sound familiar? It should. She was one of three finalists in the Atlanta superintendent search in June (none was chosen). In fact, she was also a finalist in the Cleveland, Ohio superintendent search in April. This is her third time at bat in 6 months.

Below is a collection of info found via a quick Google search:

Here is her bio from the Lorain City Schools website:
http://lorainschools.org/modules/tt/profile.phtml?profile_id=123733

About Lorain City Schools:
http://lorainschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/2326143/File/about_us.pdf
http://lorainschools.schoolfusion.us/

FY 2011 Budget: $94,664,548

BY THE NUMBERS 2010‐11

Student Enrollment: 7,626

3,711 Students in Grades K‐5
1,504 Students in Grades 6‐8
2,411 Students in Grades 9‐12

Student Demographics

30.87% Hispanic
28.01% African American
27.96% White
12.75% Multi Racial
0.43% Other

85.6% Economically Disadvantaged
17.8% Students with Disabilities
3.2% Limited English Proficiency

SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS
10 Elementary
3 Middle Schools
1 High School
3 Alternative Option Programs

EMPLOYEES:
955 Full‐Time
680 School‐Based
275 Non‐School Based
‐ 533 Teachers
‐ 38 Administrators
‐ 109 Paraprofessionals

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/reportcardfiles/2009-2010/DIST/044263.pdf

For some background on Ohio's standards: There are 26 categories and six academic status designations.

The six designations in Ohio are
• Excellent with Distinction
• Excellent
• Effective
• Continuous Improvement
• Academic Watch
• Academic Emergency

Lorain City Schools -- on Academic Watch

AYP Status: NOT MET


Performance Index: (0-120 point) 78.1 points


Number of State Indicators Met out of 26:  1


The only passing category out of 26 is 11th grade writing.


Oddly, even though they literally failed in 25 of 26 categories, they still had an 84.7% graduation rate. That is incongruent and should be investigated further.


Superintendent’s message from the Lorain School System website:
"Listen to the clarion call for educators. We have the salient opportunity to report the excellence in education to all stakeholders. It is incumbent upon us to educate every child at the highest level. Our actions, through leadership, must insure equity, which represents both the powerful and the powerless.

According to Dr. Atkinson, Achievement is up in Lorain City Schools.
In spite of a $14 million deficit in June of 2007, achievement in Lorain City Schools has consistently been improving. Seven indicators on the Ohio achievement assessment test improved. In the 2007-2008 school year 7th grade Writing increased by 13% and the graduation rate increased 2.6%.

In 2008-2009 the district continued to see even greater student success by increases in 14 achievement indicators, highlighted by 4th grade Math increasing by 9.9%, 11th grade Reading increasing by 10% and a 2.3% gain in graduation rate. This year was the first time that Lorain City Schools received the rating “ABOVE”, which means a year’s worth of growth on the value added State Accountability System.

In 2009-2010 the district “MET” a years worth of growth. 9 indicators increased in 5th grade Math with an 8.5% gain and 8th grade Reading with a 7.8% gain. The districts graduation rate increased by 3.9% bringing the graduation rate up over the last 3 years from 74.7-84.7.

We educate all children at high levels. We can. We will.

(The data below is from the superintendent's page on the Lorain website.)

2007-2008
4th Reading Increased by 1.8%
7th Writing Increased by 13%
8th Math Increased by 1.1%
8th Science Increased by .5%
10th Social-Studies Increased by 5.4%
11th Writing Increased by 1.2%
11th Math Increased by 1.6%
Graduation Rate Increased by 2.6%

2008-2009
3rd Math Increased by 1.7%
4th Reading Increased by 7%
4th Writing Increased by 4.3%
4th Math Increased by 9.9%
5th Reading Increased by 2.3%
5th Science Increased by 7.5%
7th Reading Increased by 4.5%
7th Math Increased by .40%
10th Writing Increased by 3.6%
10th Social-Studies Increased by 1.7%
10th Science Increased by 5.3%
11th Reading Increased by 10%
11th Writing Increased by .60%
11th Social-Studies Increased by 3.2%
Graduation Rate Increased by 2.3%

2009-2010
3rd Reading Increased by 2.2%
5th Reading Increased by 1.8%
5th Math Increased by 8.5%
5th Science Increased by 1.6%
6th Reading Increased by 2.0%
6th Math Increased by 3.4%
8th Reading Increased by 7.8%
8th Science Increased by 2.1%
Graduation Rate Increased by 3.9%

This is the bio Maureen Downey had published about her when she was identified as a finalist in the Atlanta search:

Dr. Cheryl L. H. Atkinson has been the Superintendent of Lorain City Schools since August 2007. During her tenure, she has implemented a comprehensive reform model, Success For All, which has increased Ohio Achievement Test scores in reading for all elementary and middle schools. Dr. Atkinson has also moved the district forward technologically by implementing an electronic grade reporting system, Progress Book, giving parents daily access to their children’s grades. In addition, all students in grades 6 through 11 have been issued E-books instead of traditional textbooks. Students now have all their textbooks loaded electronically on a laptop, which enables them to access the current learning tools and technologies they need to compete in the 21st Century workforce.

Dr. Atkinson was formally Deputy Superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri School District, a district with more than 38,000 students and more than 70 schools. She also served as Associate Superintendent for School Administration and Regional Superintendent for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, a district with over 125,000 students in over 150 schools.

Dr. Atkinson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Learning and a Master of Education in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. She has been married for 21 years to Terrence L. Atkinson, Sr. They have three sons.


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Below is a screen shot from the Ohio DOE website showing Lorain's test scores over time: (Collected and sorted by a DCSS blogger)

Click to view larger

Another superintendent finalist is announced

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rodney Jenkins, Public Information Officer Rodney_Jenkins@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.gov
678-676-0786 Office
404-486-3710 Cellular


DeKalb County, August 12, 2011 -- The DeKalb Board of Education is pleased to announce the selection of a finalist for superintendent of the school district, Cheryl L. H. Atkinson, Ed. D. The board will formally install the new superintendent in a public vote following a 14-day waiting period consistent with state law.

“Dr. Atkinson is a highly respected and experienced educational leader with a proven record of lifting academic achievement in Lorain, Ohio, and in other districts where she has served,” said Thomas Bowen, chairman of the DeKalb Board of Education. “This was a long process, but in the end we are confident that we have the best candidate to move our district forward. The board is pleased to have her serve the children of our district.”

Dr. Atkinson is currently superintendent of the Lorain, Ohio school district, where she put in place “Success for All,” an academic reform model credited with raising Ohio Achievement Test scores in reading for all elementary and middle schools. She is also credited with effectively applying new technology to schools such as an electronic grade reporting system that gives parents digital access to their children’s grades and academic progress, as well as issuing E-books to some students in place of textbooks.

Dr. Atkinson has served school districts with enrollments ranging from 7,500 to 165,000 students as deputy superintendent in Kansas City, Mo.; associate and regional superintendent in Charlotte, N.C., and associate superintendent in Charleston, S.C. Dr. Atkinson holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

As the Associate Superintendent with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, Dr. Atkinson established procedures and processes to more effectively monitor overall student achievement at all levels. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is an urban district serving 127,000 students (45.8% free/reduced lunch). The district has a total of 148 schools (91 elementary, 32 middle, 17 high schools, and 6 alternative schools).


“My passion is to give all children, regardless of background or circumstances, a quality public school education,” said Dr. Atkinson. She will visit the district within the next 14 days to be introduced to parents and the DeKalb community.

The DeKalb Board also wants to thank Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson for her untiring efforts in stabilizing the district. She has successfully laid the groundwork for a new superintendent by developing and implementing strategies to lift academic standards, improve ethics, transparency and business operations. Mrs. Tyson will continue to serve in a senior advisory role to ensure a smooth transition for the new superintendent.

Great "Get Schooled" Blog Discussion on DCSS

This is one of the better conversations on Mo Downey's Get Schooled Blog (Mo lives in the county):
While APS is on road to recovery, DeKalb is stalled in the slow lane

I love how the highly respected Shayna Steinfeld very publicly calls out the BOE Chair for his complete lack of leadership and results, as well as his tolerance of blatant nepotism and cronyism, plus she calls out the rest of the BOE too:

"DCSS Board of Education members are notorious for being “hands on” with daily operations. Many of them also have family members employed by the system, even as other more experienced staff was laid off due to budget cuts. The “friends and family” of present and past BOE members seem to have priority in maintaining their jobs and in promotions, even at the expense of teachers, as furlough days have been approved, salaries were frozen and as students have been packed into classrooms with class sizes increased in some cases to 35 per classroom.

DCSS has really failed on this one: the minority, which was not in favor of the vote for Dr. Cox went to the media to actively leak the specifics of the negotiations with her. This was a tremendous breach of confidentiality, which the Chairman of the BOE did not see fit to investigate. Further, the media did not see fit to investigate the underbelly of the story, which was “why” was the minority actively sabotaging the negotiations. The second hiring round, as the Board “tried again” was no more successful: it also had leaks, leaving the taxpayers wondering if they were “Alice in Wonderland” looking for the adults who would make decisions actually prioritizing the education of the children and wondering why it is, exactly, that DCSS pays SACS $75,000 a year as a fee and then SACS seems to turn a blind-eye as the BOE remains dysfunctional, with almost a billion dollar annual budget, and no one scrutinizes why it is that DCSS appears to have completely failed the children with its core mission: the actual act of educating the children, as the system has plunged to the bottom of the state and the long-term implications this has for the future.

It seems to those of us who are actually paying attention, that the fox is guarding the hen house..."

DeKalb ignores failings of schools

By now, certainly many of you have read the opinion piece written by DeKalb parent, Lynn Deutsch. Maureen Downey posted it for discussion on her "Get Schooled" blog, and now it rests on the opinion pages of the AJC. I think Lynn did a very good job of painting the picture of our dysfunctional school leadership. I pray our teachers and staff can hold out for a while longer until strong, new, progressive leadership can be placed to move us forward. The kids can't wait much longer.

DeKalb ignores failings of schools
By Lynn Deutsch

Today marks the first day of the school year for more than 95,000 students in DeKalb County. For the second school year in a row, the year begins without a permanent superintendent. Criminal trials are pending for the system’s previous superintendent and chief operating officer on racketeering and corruption charges.

Although interim superintendent Ramona Tyson has made some much-needed structural changes, without a strong permanent leader in place, students return to the classroom without the stability and instructional vision they deserve.

The academic performance of students in the DeKalb district is dismal. Only one-third of all DeKalb schools made “adequate yearly progress.” Thirteen of the 19 traditional high schools have been assigned “needs improvement” status because they have not qualified for AYP for too many years. Worse, the actual test scores for students paint an even grimmer picture.

In nearly every subject and each grade level on the CRCT, DeKalb students scored the lowest or near the lowest of all students in metro Atlanta. Tellingly, in 2002, African-American students in the DeKalb system scored 17 points higher on the verbal/math sections of the SAT than the national average for African-Americans.

However, by 2010, African-American students in the DeKalb system were scoring 25 points lower than the national average.

Over the past 15 years, I have been actively involved as a parent of students in the DeKalb system as well as an observer of the politics and policies involved with educating our students. Tyson is the first DeKalb superintendent to admit publicly that these scores are unacceptable.

Very few school board members have shown the same courage.

Donald McAdams, president of the Center for Reform of School Systems, wrote, “When a school district fails to improve, it is not the district’s workforce that fails; it is the board that fails.”

Current and past DeKalb school boards have failed the students whom they are charged with educating. The board oversees an annual operations budget of more than $800 million, nearly 100,000 students and more than 13,000 employees.

Yet, academic achievement goals are almost never discussed at DeKalb school board meetings. At any given point, most board members could not answer the question “How are students doing in DeKalb?”

Given the bleak academic picture and the multiple crises the system has faced, it is hard to understand how the DeKalb school board has so badly mismanaged the search for a new superintendent.

Nearly 18 months have passed since Tyson was appointed interim superintendent. There has been ample time and opportunity to bring in a nationally respected turnaround expert to begin the process of fixing this broken system. The obvious efforts, by at least some of the board members, to sabotage the selection process make it clear that some do not want to move forward.

Indeed, the monthly mantra of most of them is look elsewhere; nothing is really broken in DeKalb.

With far less drama, expense and time, Fulton and Cobb schools managed to hire new superintendents, and the Atlanta school system hired a strong interim. Although it has had this task on its agenda longer than those other systems, the DeKalb board has failed to hire a new superintendent.

The adults in DeKalb County also have failed the students. From the majority of the members of the DeKalb House legislative delegation, who refused to pass legislation to overhaul the DeKalb school board, to the county commissioners and CEO who ignore the connection between poor schools and rapidly declining property values, there are virtually no civic leaders demanding change.

In fact, due to the intertwining of the power bases of DeKalb, most remain silent because the status quo works to their benefit. Most parents in DeKalb remain oblivious, often because they believe it is the other schools that are bad or simply because they aren’t aware of the magnitude of what is really happening.

And voters in DeKalb, like voters everywhere, pay little attention to school board races and the consequences of those elections.

There is virtually no pressure being placed on the school board members even as our system is failing thousands of students and jeopardizing their futures. The powers that be remain deafeningly silent.

Things are clearly broken in DeKalb. The school board must hire either a permanent superintendent with a proven track record of improving student achievement or a corrective superintendent with a proven capacity to restructure an organization, recruiting top-tier people to reverse the achievement slide.

Only by hiring such a person and changing their behavior to allow that person to lead can board members begin the long process of reversing the academic declines to restore confidence in the school system.

From AYP status to SAT and CRCT scores, DeKalb’s data show the depth of the problems in the system. Leadership, both civic and corporate, has to admit there is a problem and call on the board to take the necessary steps to improve the system.

Finally, parents and voters must become and remain vigilant during this critical time and hold board members accountable. DeKalb’s children deserve better.

Lynn Deutsch is a parent of three, one of whom is a DeKalb County student. She has served on numerous committees at the local and state level, including the Citizens Planning Task Force and the Master Teacher and Academic Coach Implementation Committee.

So, how's that superintendent search going?

Word on the street is that the board is finally being tight-lipped about the superintendent search as they continue to meet behind executive session doors and intensely debate the pros and cons of all of the viable candidates currently on the table. Were that true, it would not only be exciting, it would be a miracle. This board could never keep a candidate under their hat – even if that candidate fulfilled each of the qualifications the board now says they are looking for in a candidate. Those qualifications include being the superintendent of a large, urban school system with at least 50,000 students, a majority minority and a large number of students from poor households. Oh, and that superintendent must make “AYP”.

But guess what? There is such a candidate on the table. Well, at least he was on the table. Robert Duron is currently the superintendent of the San Antonio, Texas school district. The district is host to 55,000 students in an urban setting. The district is 92.6% economically disadvantaged and at nearly 90% Hispanic and 7.4% African-American, it is a majority minority. The school system had been what is referred to in Texas as “Academically Acceptable” but fell to  “Academically Unacceptable” from 2008-2010 due to a handful of students who dropped out of the system and were unable to be tracked. Even so, as you can tell by those older scores, the system made great strides in achievement from 2009 to 2010 – especially when compared to DeKalb – in spite of the label. Now, the newest test scores for 2010-2011 have been released and the district is once again “Academically Acceptable”. (That’s Texas lingo for passing AYP.)

But, Robert Duron was sabotaged by our board before his merits could even be discussed. This was not really that different from the way they sabotaged lead contender Lilly Cox by leaking details of her supposedly private contract negotiations. And then, although they did grant Brad Bryant a cursory interview after Fran Millar posed Brad's candidacy to the board, they have not yet had a public discussion, much less a vote on Brad.

What’s going on? Who exactly are they looking for?  Are they furiously discussing a brand new slate of candidates? Although I would like to hope that is the case, I have serious doubts. School is about to begin across the country and it is unlikely that any superintendent worth their salt would be embarking on a job search right now. I just don’t think there is a qualified candidate on the horizon and worse, I have come to believe that Tom Bowen is living a delusion in his belief that if he acts passively-aggressively enough, Ramona Tyson will acquiesce and agree to serve another couple of years – long enough to grant Tom political cover to run for some other office without the albatross of having dragged DeKalb’s accreditation into the dirt. However, I don’t think Ms. Tyson will do him this favor. She really does not want the job long term. She will call his bluff come October 1.   And then SACS will come calling October 31 asking for proof of fulfilling their requirements.  Will Tom then try to back Tyson into a corner, pinning SACS' action on her unwillingness to serve as the long-term superintendent?  Will he then try to "guilt trip" her into doing as he wants?  I would hope that is not Tom's plan, but I really have to wonder. I've never witnessed a "leader" so, well, consciously comatose.

What to do? What does the public do when there really is no discussion to disagree with? What do we do when there is no action to critique or applaud? We cry for help, but the wind from Atlanta seems to drown out our voices and the Governor is too far up the hill from us to see us clearly. We are a rudderless ship sailing helplessly in circles piloted by a moonstruck captain who won’t admit he’s lost and a prevailing wind that just won’t let up.

===

Check San Antonio's last year’s test scores by clicking here.

Check out this year’s test scores just released last week by clicking here.

http://www.saisd.net/main/
http://www.saisd.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1326&Itemid=104

===

FWIW, the board had better not be discussing candidates or superintendent plans outside of their meetings or they could wind up in the same hot water as Cobb's board.  It was discovered that four members of the board were communicating via email, creating a "virtual" quorum and violating the Open Meetings Act.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/28702531/detail.html
http://kennesaw.patch.com/articles/emails-black-list-embroil-school-board-2

Superintendent Search - A Blogging Brainstorm

I had a good conversation with Marshall Orson today. We were discussing the Brad Bryant idea. We agreed that at its core, this is a good idea – we need another interim. We need a person who can spend the next year or two before we vote in a new board and they get settled, righting this ship and then turning it around, poised for a new journey. This person needs to have a "presence" that is stronger than the board. This person needs to have the experience required to lead a system (education or otherwise) from havoc into structure. This person needs to have ethical and political clout and the respect and trust of the people. This person needs to clearly see the path we must take and be unafraid to walk it.

The board is feeding us a fantasy when they tell us they can hire a permanent superintendent by October 31. The truth is – there is no one on the docket. The search firm sent over 50 qualified candidates to the board months ago. They whittled the list to three finalists – then when they zeroed in on one and the other two dropped out, “someone” leaked the privileged executive session info on the contract negotiations, basically violating the trust with the candidate (Lilly Cox) causing her to decide to drop out as well. So they went to another highly qualified candidate (Robert Duron) from the list and when the vote was close on him, again, “someone” leaked his name, their opinion of him (negative) and began a public smear campaign designed to derail negotiations with him before they ever even took a vote. (A vote would be public, so we would have known.) Now — it’s only a few weeks from the start of school and no one will apply – as well as they might not apply as the reputation of our board as leakers and manipulators will prevent them from considering us.

So – really, what to do? Ramona Tyson emphatically says she does not want the job and will only (reluctantly) stay for three months. We need a strong two year plan. We need someone who can focus on improving the education we are providing to children while weathering the storm of the criminal trials of our former superintendent and COO as well as a $100 million civil trial with Heery/Mitchell.  We need a person who can clear the way for a long-term superintendent to be chosen by the next board – the one we will elect when they all have to run for newly drawn seats in November of 2012.

Brad Bryant could do it, IMO. But what if Brad doesn't get the vote or if he turns it down? We also found ourselves tossing out names like Charles B. Knapp, former president of UGA,  Betty Siegel, former president of Kennesaw State or Thurbert Baker, former GA Attorney General, Michael Thurmond, former GA Labor Commissioner or Carl V. Patton, President Emeritus of Georgia State.

Is there anyone else on the horizon? Come on out to the brainstorm, bloggers! Add your ideas and suggestions in the comments.

After you do that, make sure you send the board an email demanding action on the superintendent search.  They are in a stalemate, unable to move forward with no new candidates on the horizon.  They need to follow the lead of Atlanta Public Schools and find a high caliber leader to put in place for at least the next year or two who will work to make things right for the children of DeKalb.

CLICK HERE to Email the entire DCSS Board of Education

What is in the Best Interest of DeKalb Schools' Core Business of Educating Students?

This is the question Ms. Tyson and the DeKalb Board of Education should have been asking as they made budget cuts.

Consider this recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution regarding how Marietta City Schools is avoiding budget-cutting impacts to instruction as they consider what is in the best interest of their students.

Marietta City Schools is a diverse school system of 8,000 students with 50%+ African American, 30%+ Hispanic, and 15% White. 74% of Marietta City School students are classified as Economically Disadvantaged (a greater percentage than DCSS), and 11% as Students With Disabilities (also a greater percentage than DCSS). Every regular education school in Marietta City Schools is a Title 1 school.

Every school in Marietta City Schools made adequate yearly progress, and the entire system of Marietta made AYP in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Is there a correlation between improving student achievement and keeping your core business intact when you make budget-cutting decisions? Read what the Marietta City Schools superintendent Emily Lembeck says about her decisions to “protect what happens in the classroom”. Posters have said that they want a superintendent from a school system the size of DCSS. Is that more important than a fiscally responsible superintendent with a solid track record in moving students forward academically?

AJC article published June 20, 2011:
“Marietta City Schools plans to cut its budget 4 percent through belt-tightening measures that include outsourcing 22 custodial positions. There are no furlough days or teacher layoffs planned.

Superintendent Emily Lembeck said that could change if the system doesn’t receive the funds expected from state and federal sources. Last year’s budget was based on a revenue shortfall of $5.9 million.

The district’s Board of Education will vote on the 2012 budget at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the school headquarters at 250 Howard St. A public comment hearing will be held a half hour before the meeting. The $74.5 million budget is $3.1 million less than last year’s.

The proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 will eliminate a food service warehouse position, consolidate two bus routes and use $3.4 million in reserves. Two alternative and special education facilities will be combined at one location. The city system has 11 schools and 8,000 students.

School officials said the budget process has been challenging since 2008. Lembeck said privatizing custodial jobs was a difficult decision based on the economy, which has driven school systems to look at business and staffing practices.

“It becomes more difficult to protect what happens in the classroom without looking at some services that are not directly related,” Lembeck said. “Reducing days of instruction through furloughs and larger class sizes is not in the best interest of our core business of educating students.”

Marietta City Schools started outsourcing custodial jobs seven years ago through attrition. Schools spokesman Thomas Algarin said increasing the privatization will save the district $223,242 a year. Thirteen head custodians will continue as school employees and those left will have to apply to ICS Contract Services in Atlanta for custodial work after June 30.

Many other school systems have outsourced jobs to save money. Joe Edgens, executive director of facilities for the Nashville Public Schools System, said his district privatized about 618 custodial and 44 ground services positions in 2010, saving the system $5 million to $6 million a year. Nashville has 78,000 students and a proposed 2012 budget of $670 million.

http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/22-custodial-jobs-will-981629.html?cxtype=rss_news_128746

DeKalb School Board waiting for Superman

Atlanta Public Schools have two things that we don't:  A professional interim superintendent chosen from outside the school system to lead them through the rough waters ahead and a whistleblower.

We were supposed to have a 'new' whistleblower hotline installed last September. (Read our post.) In fact, it made big news and gave our board public credibility in an AJC article entitled, "DeKalb School Board protects whistleblowers".  But listen - hear the crickets? We still do not have a whistleblower hotline -- much less, a whistleblower.  I guess when there are none, it makes them easier to protect.

But worse, our board seems to be in some kind of cloud, imagining that some superman of a superintendent is "still out there" waiting to jump aboard and save our ship!  This candidate must be really special in their minds, as they have already (purposely, in my opinion) sabotaged two excellent candidates that have emerged as finalists and then been sent packing by the board -- via media leaks regarding privileged contract negotiations of the first and vicious attacks on the perceived record of success of the second. These attacks came from people like Zepora Roberts, who is no longer on the board and should never have known this candidate's name, much less anything else (including race). How could she have known what the board had discussed in private?  Someone on the board must have told her - and no one stopped her rant against the candidate at the board meeting (which I believe was Tom's duty as chair.) Our board members need to wear Depends when they go into executive session.

We had THREE excellent candidate finalists back in March! Somehow, our board has managed to drive each one away.  Two of these three dropped out and the board focused on Lilly Cox, a PhD and Superintendent of Hickory (NC) schools.  She spoke of being a moral and ethical leader with a laser-like focus on children. But someone on the board managed to leak the contract negotiations, violating the trust between board and superintendent well before the partnership was even formed!  Cox, understandably, removed herself from further consideration.

Then, the board was apparently refocusing on Dr. Robert Duron, Superintendent from San Antonio schools (in Texas - a state with extremely stringent markers for passing their version of "AYP").  Duron's district passed in all categories, except that of high school completion, which he "failed" due to nine students who had left the system and could not be tracked.  Now, it appears that test scores are soon to be released, showing that San Antonio has passed the Texas requirements.  During all of this, it was revealed that Duron was seeking employment elsewhere (here and in Florida) and his board voted 'no confidence' in his leadership, a political response common in this arena. Again, this private, executive session information was leaked (ironically to the same reporter, Richard Belcher) and Duron negotiations broke down among board members.

Nancy Jester, Pam Speaks, Paul Womack and Don McChesney responded to the leaks in a letter to the public - citing the reasons for their strong support of Duron and encouraging the public to support him as well.  Oddly, in yet another interview with Richard Belcher (after the rest of the board had left town for training in Savannah), Board Chair Tom Bowen did not mention one word about the leaks, however described Jester's email as 'inappropriate'.  Then, shockingly, Tom goes on to report on the discussions in executive session regarding keeping Ramona Tyson on for three more months!  Executive session discussions - not yet voted on or ready for public announcement!  (Cue the Cheshire Cat.)

Now, the excuse is that the board is looking for a candidate who has led a large, urban, mostly poor, minority school system that has passed AYP.  Well, I wish them luck, but it sounds a bit like a young lady hoping for a knight in shining armor while remaining holed up in a tower growing old alone.

Someone save this leaky ship!

What can be done about these leaks? Why does no one in power seem to have an issue with the fact that people like Zepora Roberts (former board member) are given inside information and then have the nerve to publicly share it?  This kind of knowledge can only come from private personnel discussions in the school board's executive meetings.  The Zepora leak came AFTER the first leak of contract details with superintendent finalist Lilly Cox to Richard Belcher at WSB - which triggered Cox to withdraw from consideration and sent the board off for training on executive session confidentiality. Worse, after this "training", someone not only leaked information about the next finalist to Zepora, the entire Chamber of Commerce was given confidential information! The Chamber Chair then boldly made a public opinion statement (aired by WSB) that the Chamber thinks the school system should stick with interim Ramona Tyson!

What is going on? Are there ethics left anywhere in DeKalb? Why didn't Bowen shut Zepora down? Her comments were about a personnel issue, which is strictly and officially off-limits! Is the media complicit in this sabotage of the school board's effort to hire a new superintendent?  Why? Is it ethical of Richard Belcher to publicly air private contract negotiations, thereby destroying the process and ruining someone's career?  Are reporters compelled to report everything they are told? How would Belcher like it if he was in private negotiations with CNN and someone leaked the details of his contract requests?

This is all so discouraging. SACS won't intervene.  The governor won't intervene. We are virtually unprotected.  Board members who successfully leaked information have now been given a license to behave badly in order to get their way.  No one will interview in DeKalb now.  Really, who would, when you go into negotiations knowing that people like Zepora, Richard Belcher and the Chamber of Commerce are going to blab it all over the airwaves?

Compare our dysfunctional county with Chattanooga/Hamilton County.  Click here for their Public Education Foundation's annual report.  They have a private educational foundation that focuses on improving their schools.  It is a public/private partnership involving citizens, the school board, school system leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and local universities to ensure their schools have the proper tools, highly trained principals and the very best teachers as well as opportunities for students to improve their success.

How far we have to go to get to a point of community collaboration like Chattanooga!  We are infants in the world of educational enlightenment - take a look at our leaders' behaviors and compare them to quality systems around the country.  We need professional leadership and help.  We need good people to run for school board, forge community partnerships and partnerships with local colleges and government agencies.  This is a plea for a lifeline. Please, consider doing whatever you can as a citizen to step up to the plate and be the change we so desperately need!

===

Zepora: The Rant
Read our post with Zepora's speech transcribed. Her words are proof that she was given inside information that she should never have known – much less been bold enough to publicly state her opinion of the person under consideration for superintendent before that person had a chance to announce his intention to his current employer.

Also, many thanks to John Heneghan for compressing, editing and posting this video clip for us!  Read his article posted on Heneghan's Dunwoody Blog.

Superintendent Search - Setting the record straight

This email was just sent from Nancy Jester's newsletter server -- it went out her constituents and others on her email list. Assuming this is public information, we have taken the liberty of reprinting it here on the blog.

DeKalb Citizens,

I am writing on behalf of the DeKalb Board of Education members Don McChesney, Pam Speaks, Paul Womack and myself.

Unfortunately, on Friday, June 10, 2011, someone leaked information about the superintendent search process to the media. You can view the story by clicking here. The leak included the name of a candidate and violated confidentiality. Had this action not been taken, we would not be writing to you today. Everything that we are writing about is already available to the public.

We are writing because we feel compelled to set the record straight on this candidate. We ran for our positions to do something and not be something. We believe that we must hire a leader from outside of our system. This is not to say that we do not have capable people within our ranks. We have many wonderful employees. Unfortunately, we also have real structural impediments to success combined with a lack of public confidence and a myriad of perception problems.

When we began this process we thought that we were on our way to finding a qualified and dedicated professional. Our search firm provided us with a host of diverse and worthy candidates. As you know, our search has already been plagued by leaks that were purposefully made to undermine the will of the board and caused candidates to withdraw from consideration. This was a great loss for DeKalb from a superintendent perspective and it damaged our ability to attract candidates. We are convinced that the latest leak has made DeKalb radioactive to potential candidates. These actions have damaged the students, employees and the taxpayers of DeKalb County. Furthermore, they have potentially damaged a candidate who did nothing other than graciously accept our invitations to speak with us.

We want you to know that from the beginning, Dr. Duron emerged as our number one choice. It was abundantly clear to us that he had the temperament and experience to lead our district. We independently reviewed his record. We familiarized ourselves with the accountability standards in his state. We examined the population of his students. We read the impressive references that were written on his behalf.

We would like to set the record straight on Dr. Duron's record. His district has seen steady improvements under his leadership. He has even proved creative and resourceful in obtaining grant money for inventive ways to tackle achievement problems and re-purpose once closed schools. We have put together a PDF that you can download from the blog tab of www.nancyjester.com. Click here to go directly to the link. You will see that with a significantly poorer district, Dr. Duron has outperformed DeKalb with respect to AYP standards. In DeKalb (2010) we had 5 failing subgroups for AYP as a system. Dr. Duron's district had only 1 sub-group that failed.

There are some members of our board that would have you believe that Dr. Duron isn't a qualified candidate because his district received a label of "academically unacceptable" from the TEA. Please review the website PDF for clarity on this matter. You will note that Texas standards include a completion rate. Districts must track all students even if they leave your district and move out of the state or country. Each district is required to document that a student that leaves is enrolled in school elsewhere. SAISD missed their "completion rate" standard by 9 students that they were unable to locate. Please note that for the academic year that just ended, Dr. Duron's district is projected to meet this standard and receive the "academically acceptable" rating from the TEA. Again, you can see this documented in the PDF on my website.

We ask you to stand with us and support Dr. Duron. He is a qualified professional that will serve and represent our district well. He will bring accountability, ethics and innovation to DeKalb. We cannot wait. Our children cannot wait. If you agree with us, please email the board. Here are their addresses:

THOMAS_BOWEN@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
SARAH_COPELIN-WOOD@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
JAY_CUNNINGHAM@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
PAM_SPEAKS@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
EUGENE_P_WALKER@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
h_paul_womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us


Thank you,
Nancy Jester
Don McChesney
Pam Speaks
Paul Womack

===
Read the following blog posts regarding the leaks on these supposedly highly confidential personnel meetings:

BREAKING NEWS: Cox is Out, Tom Bowen Fails Again, And Ramona May be a Contender
Another board member trips the superintendent search (again?)
Zepora: The Rant

Zepora: The Rant

The video has been posted.  The hard evidence is in.  Zepora Roberts (who no longer serves on the school board) was given inside information on the current negotiations with the latest school superintendent finalist.

In the video, she expounds on what she knows at the microphone, with no fear of retribution.

"The superintendent search has gone on long enough with no results for the children of DeKalb County School System. Saying that we are taking our time and not rushing to get the right person is not producing or generating any qualified candidates to come to DeKalb.  The rumor all over the county is that you're looking for a white candidate because you get more from a white superintendent is not and does not help matters at all. You should be looking for the most qualified candidate for this school system and not a particular color person. We are in deep trouble with this search. Please put your personal picks, petty politics, racial preferences outside and aside. Place the betterment and the education of the children of the DeKalb County School System above all else. 

We have the best superintendent candidate right in our midst in Ms. Ramona Tyson. Open your eyes and look at what she has done and accomplished: The Cheating Scandal, The SACS Concern, The Budget, The Redistricting and Closing of Schools.  These are issues that long-time, experienced superintendents won't even touch with a long-handled spoon. Yet, Ms. Tyson has met each issue head-on with success.  Regardless of what you do, there will always be some people that you will not please. But you do what's best for the children and the overall system and you move forward.  Again, I ask you, hire her – immediately, permanently.  Whether you know it or not, your reputation as a board does not carry a good reputation and it makes a candidate hesitant to even look at DeKalb County.

The candidate that you're looking at, is not and has not been successful where he has been for the past two to three years. And his board has not renewed his contract. Why do you think that bringing him to DeKalb would change his strike record? It won't.  He wants to escape to a more lucrative, green pasture and you're providing the pasture for him to get fat. Please don't make this mistake.

Now, regarding the budget and the future planning.  Midway Elementary and facility is a dump. Not personnel, but it is cramped. The cafeteria is no bigger than a single classroom. It has no reception area. And I ask that you look at moving Midway where Peachcrest Elementary currently exists since you have it on the list to close. Since it had a lot of renovations done, it will give more space for Midway from which to operate.

Lastly, why would you spend $30,000 for a grease trap on Atherton Elementary School if you're closing it? 

Thank you."

Another board member trips the superintendent search (again?)

Desperate times - we're in them.  Get a tissue. You will cry.

WSB is reporting that the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce is asking DeKalb County School System to "hold off" on hiring a new superintendent until the entire new board is seated 17 months from now.

"Channel 2 has confirmed that as recently as a week ago, four members of the school board wanted to hire the current superintendent from San Antonio, Texas school district. That fell through and [Chamber Chair, John Kelly] said Friday his group is satisfied with interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson. [We disagree.]

Tyson has been interim superintendent for nearly 16 months but has not said anything publicly about seeking the job on a permanent basis.

The candidate from Texas, Robert Duron, has two years left on contract with the San Antonio school district. But in March, Duron's own school board gave him a public vote of no confidence.

Duron was interviewed by the DeKalb school board earlier this year, but he was not one of the finalists. His name popped up again after all three candidates withdrew. Sources told Channel 2 that school board Vice Chairman Paul Womack lead the effort to hire Duron as DeKalb's permanent member but couldn't get five votes to bring him in.

That leaves the school board without a superintendent three weeks before its own deadline. 

“We're still moving along at the same pace. I still expect us to have a superintendent in place by July 1 -- as of today,” DeKalb school board Chairman Tom Bowen said.

Kelly said Ramona is doing a good job and has done everything asked of her. He said the board should take its time looking for a replacement because the new leader should know who the governing body is going to be. He added he is only speaking on behalf of his chamber."

Excuse me? Is it not bad enough that we have to endure this highly dysfunctional board of education and their complete inability to agree on a new leader for our school system, that now we have to bow down to the wishes of the DeKalb Chamber? Why even have a board of education?

This is the second leak - actually the third, if you count Zepora's rant against this candidate at Monday's board meeting! The first leak sent excellent finalist Lilly Cox running for the hills. (Click here to read more on that.)  Now this new leak occurs AFTER being reprimanded for the Cox fiasco just last month! AFTER being sent to board training on the subject of confidentiality in executive session and in personnel issues. They are unprofessional and hopeless! If SACS does nothing to sanction this board this time, then I would suggest that parents file a class action lawsuit for educational malfeasance. I would hope that John Evans, Civil Rights icon who just admitted to the board on Monday that his 3rd grade grandson cannot read would lead the charge to improve student outcomes – beginning with a new, professional, education-oriented superintendent. It's time to find a board who will hire a leader who cares about our children's educations.

I am going digging. I will find out more on this candidate and get back to you on the real reasons this candidate was booted by a certain manipulative contingency on the DeKalb Board of Education.

UPDATE ON THE DIG: Apparently, whoever leaked this information says that their concern is that the San Antonio school system currently led by Robert Duron was rated  'Academically Unacceptable' by the Texas Department of Education due to their 'completion rate'. This is the rate of high school completion which tracks individual students from 9th grade through graduation in the state of Texas. [Can you imagine! This has been a big complaint of ours -- we don't track graduation rates as being from 9th grade - we only track ours as the number of students who began the year as a senior and the percentage of those students who graduated.  We on the blog have long complained that we have an enormous dropout or slow completion rate, however, we cannot know for certain, as we don't track student progress individually from 9th grade.]

In fact, we found that this lack of completion pointed to nine students who were unable to graduate due to another tough requirement in Texas: they limit the number of IEP students who are allowed to have accommodations on the graduation test.  These nine students were in that category. Beyond that, the district students met or exceeded standards in 32 of 34 measures - fully 94% of students were able to meet or exceed the state of Texas standards.

Now, new data has been released stating that the San Antonio School District is projected to be deemed 'Academically Acceptable' for 2011 – even with the far tougher standards imposed by the state of Texas (compared to Georgia).

Also, apparently, the San Antonio board's vote of no confidence was a response to their discovery that Mr. Duron had applied for a job in Florida. This is a standard political move, and one of the main reasons that these negotiations should be held in extreme confidence until such time as both parties agree to make the status known. Our board already drove Lilly Cox out of contention due to their leaking private information about her negotiations. Now, it appears that certain board members are once again trying to manipulate the superintendent search due to their personal preference. (I'll leave the rest to your imagination.)

Limbo is no fun - Will the board choose a new superintendent or are they secretly planning to maintain the status quo?

The AJC is reporting on the progress of several metro school systems searches for new superintendents.  Guess what - DeKalb is going NOWHERE - and now we have some well-placed people (apparently feeling content to speak for others) saying that they think Ms Tyson should continue.  To which we say, No. Absolutely not.

Key dates approach in superintendent searches

[The] DeKalb school board is rebounding from the public collapse of its last attempt to hire a new superintendent.

In March, the board introduced three finalists for the position, but none ended up getting the job. Board conflicts and contract disputes caused top pick Lillie Cox to withdraw from consideration.

Now, the board is trying to figure out what direction to go in next. No one has been formally interviewed since the last round of finalists, Chairman Tom Bowen said.

“Obviously our goal was to have the permanent super in place by July 1, but forcing the deadline isn’t as important as making the right selection,” Bowen said.

Bowen said board members are having more discussions about who they want to pursue for the job. Bowen said the meltdown of the last search hasn't deterred other candidates from applying. Potential applicants have since come forward and expressed an interest in the job, he said, but the district hasn’t decided to reopen the search.

DeKalb parent Marshall Orson, co-president of the Emory LaVista Parent Council, said Fulton and Cobb county schools, which recently completed successful searches for new superintendents, have attracted the kind of high-profile candidates that DeKalb should be looking for.

Orson said he thinks the board should consider keeping Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson for two years to allow her to implement reforms and offer some stability as the Board of Education prepares to downsize from nine to seven in 2013, as mandated by state law.

Still no superintendent --Have you emailed the board?

Refer to our post from 10 days ago and use the email listing to insist that the board address this issue ASAP. All other decisions and all future plans hinge on who we have in place to lead the school system in the next year or two. We simply cannot spend this time in a continuing limbo. Ms. Tyson will not make the changes necessary. She does not have the background in education required to improve the success of our students. She has done an admirable job of steering the ship away from the big rocks, however, it's time to press ahead with a truly experienced captain from someplace else.